The Sun. — London, England, 1864-03-24 00:00:00

5. 1 11 E WAR IN DEZTLIARK. (From the 1 imes ;Special Correspondent with the Danish Army.) MIDDLEFAE.T, ISLAND OF FUN EN, March 16. I have been little more than four-and-twenty toun in Fredericia ; but I think I have quite done with it. The revor-failing kindness of the officers at headquarters greatly contributed to expedite my business. They were my indefatigable companions in my rambles on foot ; they mounted me, and gave me their assistance, as the best of guides, when I rode. On the evening of Monday I presented myself at headquarters, and was most kindly received by the chief of the Staff, Colonel Reich, who not only in the name of the Commander-in-Chief gave me full peroiisaiuu to view the place within and without, but personally commended me to an Artillery officer of high rank, who, as I said, put himself and his horses entirely at my service. I have said all this simply from a desire to convey to the English peo- ple an idea of the high regard and benevolence with which the representatives of their press are treated by the Danes. The love of this people for England and the English has outlived all the sad vicissitudes of 1801 and 1807, and is not to be repulsed by the " cold shoulder" the English Government, accord ing to their views, has turned upon them in this their hour of trial and sore affliction. On leaving the Bolding-gate yesterday we soon came to that " 0 veravommelse," or _ inundation, which, as I said, answer the purpose of a great out ward moat to the western line of bastions, rind op- poses an impassable barrier to any enemy attacking the fortress on this side. The great ditch is above an English mile in length, and its width sometimes exceeds 1,000 feet. It is too deep for either foot or horse to attempt to ford it, and as its dammed-up waters are fed by a perennial stream, rushing with arrowy swiftness through it, it is not greatly to be affected by the moat prolonged aummar drought. Wherever the moat is bridged over for the conve- nience of the high roads or chaussees, the pass is guarded by batteries protected by solid trenches. Barely a short half mile beyond the flooded ground we left the foremost Danish pickets behind us, and had nothing between us and the Austro-Prussian outposts, which were nowhere visible at that mo ment, but which, we are assured, are always lurk ing in the woods in the vicinity of Stonstrup and Erritso—but a slender z)ne of debatable ground, across which rifle balls are frequently exchanged on either side. Upon leaving the King's or Northern Gate, almost in contact with the town bastions, you have the intrenched camp, occupying what was for merly the drilling-ground, and extending a trifle more than an English mile between the City Gate and the Trmlde Wester Skov. That wood also is in possession, if not of any enemy's corps, at least of their patrols, who employ their time in closely watching the movements and vainly striving to disturb the works of the Danes. The intrenched camp of the Danes on this spot may be looked upon as a kind of second Dannewerk, and it was under taken, I believe, after the fall of that great national bulwark, and the retreat of its defenders to the narrower fields of action offered to them by Dybbol trenches and the bastions at Fredericia. The camp is strengthened on the land side by earthworks or batteries, provided with moat and palisade, and armed with cannon of a good large calibre ; a breastwork for the infantry runs also all along the live. The five forts or ramparts are so constructed as to be invulnerable only in front. They are not only completely open behind, but have been so placed as to be fully exposed to the fire from the town bastions ; so that even in the event of the enemy succeeding in possessing himself of one or of all of them, he would always be unable to hold them or lodge himself in them. and the roads were es hard with frost ae in the hard est winter. The morning was unspeakably bright but perfectly calm, and I spent no less than eight hours in crossing a branch of the sea hardly as many miles from shore to shore. The coast of Ata or Alsen was plainly visible, though dim and dusky, from the piece of my embarkation. Such wind as we had was from the east, consequently right against us, and as we tacked, and rowed, and toiled on our way, the boom of the cannon was wafted incessantly over the still waves, and the feathery smoke of gun powder, and the wavy track of the shells, rose above the crest of the low hills forming the outline of the little island, and told us that the work of destruc tion was in progress. For a man who had been baffled all his life in his desire to witness some im portant scene of real warfare, and whose mission, moreover, was to be present at some such action and report upon it, my position of a distant spectator was sufficiently fretting. There was no other remedy than patience in the case, however, and I sat near the helm of the tub-like craft that conveyed me with such resignation as I could command, com menting upon the folly that had taken me away from Sonderborg at the only available opportunity, after in vain waiting for it more than six weeks, and mentally thanking the kind friends who had sent me on a fool's errand all the way to Jutland, with the vain hope that I should there see some thing like that real game of war for an exhibition of which it was vain to look for an opportunity about the Dybbol position. When it pleased Heaven I at last came ashore at Mummark, but there fame had of course greatly exaggerated the terrors of the struggle now in pro gress; fearful stories were rife of the shells that showerel like rain at Sonderborg, and neither en treaties nor bribes, nor even threats, could procure me horses or carriage to get me over the eight miles distance that separated me from the long-coveted scene of action. Where there is a will there is a way, however, and in my case the will was so un commonly strong that in about half an hour I,Suc ceeded in getting on. The thunder of artillery rose in intensity as the sun sunk in the horizon, and at every brow of a hill we ascended at Tanslet, Horup, Vollerup, and Ulkebol, we could both see the flash and hear the boom, and follow the cloud of every shot as it lingered hazy and transparent on the still air of one of the purest skies that ever smiled in a frosty northern sunset. More dense and omi nous, other columns of smoke arose here and there over the vast landscape, and through these there gleamed the vivid flames which consumed the homes of the inoffensive peasantry. War in all the grim ness of its awful majesty was displayed before me as I advanced, and I had hardly alighted when some of the particulars of its havoc for the last three days were communicated to me. The fearful wind that had accompanied me to Fallen and Jutland had done its work in Alsen and Sundewitt, and by drying the ground of the Prus sian lines had enabled those troops to accomplish their work, so that on the morning of Tuesday they were ready to unmask their batteries, and from the west of the peninsula of Broagerland, and from the heights of Ragebol, they opened fire on the left and right of the Danish position. Their main attacks were directed against the Dybbol bastions, but they found leisure to direct a score or so of shells upon the town of Sonderborg, some of which hit the Slot, or Castle, some fell on the houses and in the streets, but did, as I am assured, no harm to the inhabitants. The Prussians fired about 350 shots on Tuesday, 500 yesterday, and probably a larger number to-day. The bastions on the Dybbol position suffered no ma terial harm—no - 4e, at least, that could not imme diately be repaired. The loss of life was, however, severe on the part of the Danes; a shell entered one of the blockhouses the day before yesterday, and another yesterday. A few men and officers were killed and wounded by the first; by the second no less than 40. To-day, together with the cannonade, a general fight took place, during which the Pi us sians advanced upon the position of Dybbol village and upon the height of Avnbjerg. The readers who have had the patience to run through the foregoing letters ought to be sufficiently familiar with the names of these places. The village of Dybbol lies on the right of the road, about ha f a mile beyond the bastions on Dybbol hill. The Prueai ens had at tempted to take the vi..ilage on the 221 of lest mouth, bat had fallen back before the fire of the Danish bat teries, and the Dines bad since taken up a position in its habitations and intrenched themselves in its ele vated churchyard. The defence was as obstinate as the attack was violent,and the Dines reconquered lost ground by three successive charges. They had, ho ever, to give way before overwhelming forces, and as the day closed the Prussians remained in posses sion. The same occurred on the height of the Avnbjerg, a bill rising on the left of the road, at about the same distance from the Danish bastions as Dybbol village, ie., half an English mile; the summit was repeatedly taken and retaken on either side, but remained in tha end in the power of the Prussians. It would be vain to disguise the Ina poi tepee of this acquisition; for were they able to maintain themselves in it in spite of the fire which will not fail to ba directed against them from the bastions, had they power to rear batteries on its brow, they could undoubtedly keep up a tremend ous fire against the Danish bastions with terrible effect. YOU are aware that the weakness of the position of Dybbol was always the left, which was from the beginning open to the Prussian fire from the crest of Broagerland. That crest, however, rises at a considerable distance, and although the Prus sian cannon could from that distant spot reach Bas tion No. 7 of the Dines, three miles off, yet no very serious injury could be done ; no such damage as may be expected to accrue to the Danish position from the dangerous proximity of the Avnbj erg. Night put an end to the conflict of to-day, in spite of the brightest moonlight, but the struggle cen be renewed to-morrow at daybreak, and no one can foresee with what result. The losses of the Danes have been severe, especially this day. At the time I telegraphed to you only 70 wounded hal been brought in ; their number has since risen, as I am told, to 230, amongst them several officers. Colonel Streberg, of the 8:13, is among the killed. Even as I am writing, at 2 o'clock after midnight, I hear a noise which seems very like the bursting of a shell within the town. Many of the inhabitants have fled, and I must have met hundreds of car riages loaded with persons and furniture on my way from Mummark. But by far the greatest number remain, women and children too. The Danish soldiers appear to be delighted at the prospect of the commencement of real war, and they sing,— "Now will we fight the foe again." Strong as the present reduced line of Fredericia is, it is certain that it has been seriously impaired, owing to the loss, on Tuesday last, of that second outward line which from Gudso followed a ravine crossing nearly the whole isthmus as far as Rands fiord, or Little Strand. By the occupation of Er ritso and Stonstrup, the Austro.Prussians have not only advanced their patrols on the western aide within little more than half an English mile from the city gate, bat have also established themselves at Snoghoi and Sanddal-house, whence their artil lery command the Sound all across to Middlefart and Strib, and either have, or can at any moment, put at an end to all traffic and intercourse of the Dines between the coasts of Funen and Jutland on this side. Had the Austro-Prussians been able to do what they did in 18.1)—t e , possess themselves of the ground now occupied by the Danish in trenched camp, Fredericia could have been com pletely blockaded by land and sea ; the same hos tile batteries which had power to bombard it from the north and west would also have been able to sink any vessel making for its harbour, either from the other side of the Sound or from the open sea. As it is, although the northern side is safe, and will be so as long as the Danes hold their intrenclaed camp, great annoyance may at any moment be occasioned both to the city and to the places across the Sound by the occupation by the enemy of Snoghot and Sanddal-house, on the western coast. I have told you that a few shells, thrown almost by way of a first experiment upon Strib and Middlefart, had the effect of frightening the population of these two places and determining their fight. Not a few of them have been to some extent reassured by the subsequent silence, and have returned to their desolate homes; but they all live like man placed at the mercy of a pitiless foe—prepared at any mo ment to seek refuge in some place of security to which the wisest of them have already removed their families, goods, chattels, and all they care for in the world. The Danes, however, are not a people to fear their enemies because they count them, cr to allow their arm to be weakened by vague misgiving, or even by well-grounded apprehensions. They are not blind to the magnitude of their danger ; they do not undervalue their enemy. They look cvlein the face. They do their best as men, well knowing that no more is expected of them. I came back to this piece to-day in the afternoon, desirous once more to see the Sound at its narrowest P oint s and to try to catch a glimpse of the Austro- Prussians, whose patrols, I was told, are daily show ing themselves along shore on the other side. I walked from Middlefart to Kungebro, or King's Pier, the very spot where the ferry crosses from Funea let° Jutland when the sea is too rough to allow the usual traffic by Strib or Middlefart. I ascended the hill which further contracts the Strait for a short distance, and the brow of which com mands the opposite shore far and wide, and has lately been armed with well constructed batteries. I had scarcely set my foot on the hill crest when I saw a Score of Prussian hussars prancing gaily on the be ach, their sabres glancing bravely in the bright evening sun, and their light chargers frisking and Capering in the keen bracing air that betokened a frosty night. They were escorting some lumbering eonveyancea which might be heavy artillery or am munition. The Danes looked at them through spy. glasses behind their trenches, and I asked them, by way of pleasantry, " whether they did not think their pieces could kneels over a few of those cava liers for our en tertainment." But they answered -with some severity that " they were soldiers and not e nurderers, and left the shooting of pickets and of outpost sentinels to their uncivilised enemies, who see m to delight in such work and be proud of it." I had written thus far, and was preparing to sit down to supper, when a friendly officer brought the 11'...WS that a brisk cannonade had begun at Dv bbol ,on Tuesday, a nd had continued this day. Although I have not slept in bed for two nights at Fredericia, because no bed was to be had, 1 shall be off in a few 'minutes, hoping to reach Sonderborg in the course of ;to-morrow, or at the latest at Friday, when a steamier leaves Assens for the Isle of Alsen. SONDERBORG, ,1l Arch 17. I left Middlefert last evening at 10, and making the best speed I could with post horses, reached As seas at 2 a . m ., an d continued ray journey as far as Faaborg, where I arrived at 8, having thus crossed Funea in all its length in the course of the night. I was aware that no steamer would leave Assens till to-morrow, and I hoped to reach Sonderborg this day by chartering a fishing boat at Faaborg and crossing the Little Belt at Mummark in Alsen, a placa only eight miles distant from Sonderborg across: the little isle. The night was bitterly cold, TEE btfiv, LONDON, THURSDAY IiVtNING, MARCH 24, 1864. made a culvert for the pipes. Laying them in a trench is better, because in my judgment it is a more simple opera tion and more secure. In case of accident a culvert would give rea Her access for repair, but with much greater liability to accident. I can hardly tell the pressure of water on the valve when the reservoir is full ; I am not prepared with the necessary calculations. Mr. Rawlinson, after a calculation, said the pressure of water on each valve would be from four to five tons, when the reservoir was full. Mr. Leather's examination resumed—When the water is flowing freely through the pipes they are not likely to sus tain much injury. The opening of the valve would not have a tendency to wrench the joints of the pipes. The pressure lessens as the valve is opened. The Coroner—lt took half an hour to..open one of these valves on the night of the inundation, and there was a shcking and straining of the pipe during the opening not felt before or after. That is the reason why I ask the ques tion. What I mean is, would there not be a greater pressure upon the valve when the water was in motion? M. Leather—No. There would be greater disturbancs in the way of noise in opening the valve, but the pressure would diminish as the valve opened. The pipes would run off 10,000 cubic feet of water per minute. Every inch that the water lowered would diminit,l , the pressure upon the embankment. At this rate, 190 hours, or about nine days, would be required to let off the whole of the water, suppos ing there was no addition. I have not hitherto thought it necessary to have had more complete control over the water. I did all that I thought necessary to provide against danger. I know of no means of providing against danger except the pipes and bye-wash. There is a drain all round the Red mires dam, but that is for another purpose altogether. The Coroner—Ought you not, as a practical engineer, to minimise the danger as much as possible in making these large reservoirs ? There has been no attempt to minimise the danger here, and there is no use in having an engineer unless he does that. You have had the management of these dams. You have placed a great embankment there, and collected an immense body of water behind it. But even though there was a suspicion that the embankment might give way, you have taken no means of taking the water any ether direction, so as to avoid its coming down in one body upon the people of Sheffield. I ask you is it not desirable in such cases that some means should be taken of lessening the danger ? Mr. Leather—l cannot conceive any other way than that adopted. The Coroner—There was not the slightest arrangement made for doing away with the danger; that is what I com plain of. Why, it would have taken eight days to have run off the water in the dam through the pipes, if there had been no influx. The influx of water was so enormous that it would have taken three weeks to run off the water by the pipes. I saw a large cutting near ; could not that have been made available, Mr. Leather ? Mr. Leather—No ; a cutting should be at the bottom of the embankment of a reservoir to relieve it under such cir cumstances, and I know of no means of having such a cutting. The Coroner—Could you net have drawn away any water that reached the puddle without the puddle being injured —drawn away I rom the outside, I mean ? Mr. Leather—Yes ; I do nut know that anything of that sort has been done. The Coroner—lt was no part of your plan to drain the puddle trench P--No, except during tha working. I mean afterwards ?—No; I do not suppose any would get there afterwards. lam supposing it has. The puddle trench could not be so drained as to prevent water getting there F—Any water that might get there would naturally percolate through the embankment on the lower side. It would get away with out doing any injury, The Coroner—l am told that water was seen coming from the bottom of the embankment sometimes; that might be the reason?—lt might be said that would be the natural result if any water (Yid get into the embankment. Would there not be a greater weight upon the escape pipes in the centre of the embankment than at the edges of it ? The pressure would be greater. The embankment was 90ft. high in the centre. If this weight pressed the pipes down at the centre through the puddle it would not necessarily disjoint the pipes. Mr. Rawlinson called the attention of the witness to a re port published by the Society of Civil Engineers, in which it was stated that pipes laid under an entrenchment occa sionally broke from the pressure upon them not being equal ; and mentioning, an instance at Melbourne, where the frac ture had to be repaired by inserting a line of boiler plating inside. The pipes in this case were excellent castings, and had borne a very severe pressure, both externally and in ternally, but by the weight of the embankment were flat tened and distorted, more in the centre than at the sides, because the pressure was unequal. There was, therefore, a possibility of pipes subjected to an unequal pressure being injured. Mr. Leather replied that the pipes in the case cited by Mr. Rawlinson were laid in the embankment, not in a trough. Those of the Bradfield reservoir wore, however, laid in a trench under the embankment. The cases, therefore, were quite different. The Coroner—But though the trough was made in the natural ground, the pipes themselves were laid in an arti ficial ground, which might offer more resistance in one part than another. Mr. Leather--There were 18in. of puddle round them, but they would adjust themselves in the puddle. By the Jury—How do you determine the strength of the embankment ? It was 10 times that of the pressure against it. I cAnnot tell how much water would run into the reser voir in 21 hours on a wet day. The pipes had not been examined since the thod. But as there was so leakage through or about the pipes before the accident, and as there was a full flow of water through the pipes when the valves were opened, it is fair to presume there was no leakage. I have seen the valve work under half the full pressure. Mr. Leather, examined by Mr. Perronet Thompson -1 have been the consulting engineer of the company in respect of all their reservoirs. I have not previously had an acci dent, though some of the reservoirs are of greater extent than the Bradfield reservoir. The embankment of the upper dam at Redmires is much larger. The plans and sections for this and the reservoirs that have stood for years are pre cisely the same in principle, and there is a groat similarity in situation and materials of some of them. I used all the means known to me as a practical engineer in tho construc tion of these dams for insuring the security of the work. So far as my observation went, the quality of the work was good throughout. The fact of the public trench being sunk to the depth of 60 feet, although the plans required only 10 feet, is an illustration of the care exercised in providing for the safety of the dam. The specification provided for the trench being made deeper than 10 feet if nedessary. The weight of the water is measured by the depth, and not the quantity of the water on the superficial area. One-fourth the water might have given quite as great a pressure if the depth had been the same. I have not an instance in my experience of pipes carried under the embankment having given way. It the valves of the pipes had in this instance been unable to sustain the weight of water, the only result would have been that the water would have run away ; no damage would have resulted. I have taken all reasonable means to provide against danger. The object of an em bankment is to confine the water, and the business of an engineer is to make his embankment sufficient to rosist the pressure of the water against it, not to provide any other mean of letting the water off on the supposition that the embankment is not strong enough. This embankment was sufficient. Tao puddle wall is the real security of the water. The only object of the embankment is to support the puddle wall, not itself to keep out the water. It is not therefore specially important that the earth of the embankment itself should be such as will keep out water. This puddle wall was 60 feet deep. The pressure of water in the pipes at Sheffield is much greater than in those at Bradfield. By the Coroner—lf an embankment is to support a pud dle wall, and the embankment is sufficiently strong, the puddle bank will, of course, fall. I have examined the em • b tnktnent since the flood, and think it was properly made. Under the lower side there was a footing of stone, to pre vent the embankment slipping. By the Jury—The pipes would ba carried through the puddle trench if not through the embankment. They would find that proper precautions had been taken against any settling there, by which it was not likely that the pipes would be broken. By the Coroner really do not know the cause of the embankment bursting. I have very great difficulty, indeed, in forming any opinion worth relying upon. I can form conjectures, and so can any body else, but they are not worth much. There is a possibility of a landslip under the seat of the embankment having produced it. Ido not believe the embankment itself has slipped, bat the wratification beneath it may have slipped. Mr. Rawlinson—You mean that you do not think the embankment was the first to slip P—That is the more cor rect way of putting it. By the Coroner—A fracture of the pipes has been sug gested. If the pipes had broken that might have caused it ; but we have no indication of any such breakage. I hazard the conjecture that there has been a landslip beneath the embankment, because we know they do take place; be cause a land slip taken place in this valley below the dam. I am speaking of a slip under the embankment, not under the puddle bank. I do not ascribe the bursting of the reser voir to unsound principles of engineering or to bad work manship. _ _ By Mr. Rawlinson—A blow would not cause equal injury with a crack in the pipe, if such took place. Ido not know the maximum volume of water, but it has been carefully recorded. My view of the way in which a landslip might take place is that the water that naturally percolates into the strata would get between the face of the rock and the bed of clay resting upon it, and cause the superincumbent mass to slip off. The water through the fissures would be cut off by the pud lie drain. I have not examined the bare stratification on the by-wash side of the reservoir since the flood, because I believe if the rock would allow the water to percolate such water would be cut off by the puddle trench. The Coronsr—lf the percolating water was not stopped by the puddle, but went through the rocks at a lower level than the bottom of the puddle trench, would it not have had the effect of washing down the embankment on the low side of the puddlebank ? The probability is that it would find its way to a spring lower down the vallsy. I have not seen the embankment of the Rivington Water Works at Liverpool, lam not aware that the reservoir bottom there The Wreck of the Desert Flower. OFFICIAL REPORT. TO THE LORDS OF THE COMMITTEE or PRIVY COUNCIL FOR TRADE. My Lords,—l b.g to report that I have held an official inquiry, assisted by Captains Harris and Cow, into the cir cumstances attending the loss of the ship Desert Flower on the morning of March 4, which took place on the Long Bank, off the coast of Ireland, in the vicinity of Wexford. The Desert Flower was a new ship, on her first voyage, bound from Liverpool to Calcutta, laden entirely with coal. She was built in St. John, N. 8., in the year 1863, regi•tered at Liverpool of the burthen of 1,216 tons, owned by Messrs Ryland and Seddons, of that part, and was commanded by Mr Wm. J. Harvey, who held a certificate of service, which certificate was lost at the same time as the ship. The De sert Flower left Liverpool at noon on the 2d of this present month, and was towed 45 miles SW and by W from Holy head, where shs was cast off by the tug at 1 p,m. on the 3d inst. Sail was made, and the ship proceeded down the Irish Channel, steering SW by W k W, with a south-easterly wind. At 7 p.m. the samu day the Taskar Light was made, bearing about WSW, or half a point on the starboard or lee bow, at a distance of two miles. The ship was then tacked, and stood off the land, heading about NE till near midnight. At this time she was wore round towards the land, and headed SW and by V/ # W, or WSW, going about three and a half knots an hour. At 1 a.m. the captain, for the first time, ordered a cast of the lead to be taken, which, after a little delay, in consequence of the lead-lice fouling, gave 11 or 14. fathoms. This was quickly followed by ano ther cast in 10 fathoms. The master then went down to consult his chart, but, before doing so, desired one of the crew to ca►l all hands up about ship. Before the master could return to the deck the ship struck heavily. Efforts were made to back her off with the sails, which proved in effectual. Within 10 minutes five feet of water were found in the well. The boats, all of which were stowed on board, were got out safely, and most of the crew betook themselves to them, leaving the master, chief and second mates, steward, and two hands on board. The tide, which was at that time flood, drifted the boats from the ship towards the shore. At daylight, or about (.3 a.m., all the boats returned to the ship and took off the master and the remainder of the crew. When they left, the ship was full of water, and had heeled over to port, or seawards. Shortly after leaving the ship the longboat capsized in the rollers, and all hands were thrown out. Six men succeeded in getting on the bottom of the boat, and were taken cff by the captain in the pinnace, but the chief mate and carpenter were drowned. The boats subsequently landed at Rosslaer-house, South Bay, near the entrance of Wexford River. In commenting upon the circumstances of this disaster, I find that the first error of the master consisted in his omission to heave the lead as he stood off shore, that he might have thereby verified his distance from the land at midnight before he wore round and stood back towards the shoals on the Irish coast. It is obvious that, had he done so, he would have found that he was not so far off the coast as he supposed ; for having stood off for 4 hours,and then returned upon a nearly opposite course in one hour and five minutes, his ship was wrecked in shore of the Tuskar Light. It is much to be re gretted that masters of ships will continue to neglect to use the lead in passing up and down the Irish Channel, in spite of frequent warnings, and notwithstanding that well-marked oharts warn them of their danger. Had the lead been used in time in this case this large and valuable ship would not have been sacrificed, even taking into consideration the too westerley course he was steering to round the Tuskar after the tugboat cast her off. In pronouncing sentence upon the master, I have taken into consideration his age and long service, and refrained from cancelling his certificate of ser • vice, and compelling him to go up for a certificate of compe tency; but have, with the concurrence of the Nautical Assessors, suspended the certificate of Mr. William Joseph Harvey for 12 calendar months from this date.--I have, Sca., T. S. RAFFLES, Police Magistrate. Liverpool, March 17, 1864. We concur in this report. H. HABILIS, Nautical Assessors. JoHN Cow, THE SHEFFIELD CALAMITY. ADJOURNED INQUEST. The inquest on the bodies of Thomas Elston and others was resumed at the Town-hall yesterday. The Coroner (Mr. J. Webster) conducted the inquiry. Among those present were Mr. Robt. Rawlinson, C.E., and Mr. Nathaniel Beardmore,:C,E., from the Home-office ; M. Mille, member of the Legion of Honour, and engineer of bridges and roads to the French Government; Mr. Robert W. Mylne, E.C., F.R.S., of London; Mr. W. Lindley, C.E. (London), engineer of the Hamburg Sewage and Water Works; Colonel Ford, of York; Mr. Perrenet Thompson, barrister, instructed by Messrs. A. Smith and Sons, solici tors to the Water Company ; and Mr. Wm. Smith, chair man of the Water Company, . The Coroner, in opening the proceedings, 'said the jury were met to inquire how Thomas Elston and others came to their deaths on the 12th inst. He proposed only to direct their attention to the death of Elston. Separate inquisi tions could afterwards be made with regard to the other deceased without any particular inquiry. Having read the evidence taken on the previous occasion, the coroner added that the course he proposed to take was to examine the en gineer of the company first, in order to get as far as possible a history of the embankment. If Mr. Leather could not give all the information deemed necessary, he (the coroner) would Examine Mr. Gunson, the resident engineer, Mr. Craven, the contractor, and such other witnesses as might be necessary. If their evidence was not satisfactory, he would call Mr. Rawlinson, the Government inspector, and one or two other witnessses who had been engaged in ex amining the reservoir, who would give their opinions upon the cause of the disaster. That would be the most direct way of getting at what they wished. He hoped to be able to conclude the inquest that day, but if the witnesses were not all examined by half-past five he would adjourn the proceedings and resume the inquiry this day. The following evidence was then adduced : Mr. John Towlerton, Leather, Leventhorpe, near Leeds. civil engineer, said—l am the consulting engineer of the Sheffield Waterworks Company. I was consulted by the company when they applied to Parliament for powers to make the Bradfield reservoir. I prepared the plans and specifications for its construction. That would be in the year 1358. Parliamentary plans and sections were deposited in 1852 for this and two other reservoirs, which we called the Bradfield scheme. I examined the country generally before depositing the plans, to see if water could be obtained. The contract for the Bradfield reservoir was let, I think, in 1858. Originally the embankment was set out lower down the valley than where it is executed. The first embankment was never commenced, because it was found, on trial holes being sunk, that there had been a disturbance of the strata. I then altered my plans for the embankment to be where it now is. I examined the ground before we commenced mak ing the embankment, and found it to be on the out crop of the coal measures, and at the commencement of the mill stone grit. The strata consist first of soil, then clay, then stone, then shale, with a gannister formation and a little Goal in the centre of the valley. I had to deal with soil, clay, stone, and shale in the embankment. The only spring I ever saw in the valley was one on the site of the reservoir, a little above the embankment. The first thing in forming the embankment is to sink the puddle trench in the centre of the base. The original plan provides for a puddle bank about 10ft below the surface. In sinking a trench we did not find a good foundation at that depth. It was not suffi ciently water tight. It was therefore necessary to sink until we did get to a water tight foundation. We sank to a depth varying from 10ft to 60ft, and then got a water tight foun dation. A good deal of water came into the puddle trench during the working. We got rid of it by pumping. I do not remember what powers the contractor had to pump the water. I came to see the trench, I think twice. I came when I was wanted. I walked over the bottom of the trench when it was finished, and knew it was water-tight. I am not aware that in wet weather the quantity of water in the trench was so great tkat they could not pump it down. I saw the puddle trench in 1861, and in 1863 I saw the puddle wall. I did not see the puddling of the trench in its progress—at all events not at the lowest point. I did not see the whole of the puddle, but what I did see was well put in, and the work was good. The water was not cut off altogether from the trench. The trench simply divided the watercourses. The water came into the trench so long as it was open. The bottom of the trench was impervious, but the sides were pervious. The water was not got rid of, but blocked out by the puddle, as is usual. When, therefore, the puddle wall got to a certain height there would be water against it on the upper side. The water that would get through the rock to the puddle wall would not have a tendency to injure it. The object of a puddle wall is to keep out water, and there fore water is always against it in a reservoir. The water rises against the puddle wall, but does not percolate through it. The water was not let off by auy natural means ; if it had the puddle wall would not be perfect. As the puddle wall was being constructed, the water rose with it, and was c irried away. The embankment across the ♦alley is 418 yards long. It is 500 ft. wide at the base and 12ft. at the top. The inner slope is 21 to 1, and the outer slope the same. The greatest height is 9 At. The puddle is 4ft. wide at the top, and gets wider by lin. at every foot in depth. Thus, _ . supposing the puddle wall is 95ft. high, it will be 16ft. wide at the base. There is 60ft. of puddle below the surface, mak ing the total depth of the puddle wall 155 ft. The reservoir would c)ntiin a little ovz.r 114,000,000 cubic feet of water. The surface area of water was about 78 acres. The area of the gathering ground is about 43,000 acres. We got the material fur making the embankment from the inside of the reservoir, and in doing so laid bare the rocks. In some places we got a good deal of stone. The embankment is made of stone, clay, shale, and earth. I cannot say how the material was put in. Mr. Gunson was not my servant, He was the resident engineer. Ile had the superintendence of the works, and occasionally consulted with me. He could not deviate from my plans. There are two IS-inch pipes from the inside to the outside of the reservoir underneath the embankment. The pipes are abeut 500 ft long, made up of lengths of Oft. There would be 55 or 56 lengths. They are joined with sockets and lead in the ordinary way. They are laid in a trench 911 below the surface of the ground. They are wrapped round with clay puddle to the thickness of, I think, 15 inches, the trench being then filled in. The pipes are laid obliquely, not diagonally, across the embank ment in a straight line. The valves are at the lower end of the pipe, outside the embankment If one of the pipes were to buret in the centre it would be difficult to get to it to repair it. It would have to be reached by excavations. An instance of that kind occurred in the great dam at Crookes. The pipes were originally of wood. I removed them by excavating, and substituted iron pipes, They would be 30 years ago. The breaking up of one of those pipes would most likely cause serious damage to the embankment. The embankment might possibly fall before we could find out the damage; I can't tell what might happen. I never knew an instance of that. 'I he pipes were made of double the usual strength. I should think there could not be au unequal pressure upon the pipes from the embankment. Being laid in the solid ground, the weight above could do no harm, unless it was a crush ing pressure. There would not be an unequal pressure upon the pipes so as to raise them at any of the joints or cause them to leak. We can insure a suffici nt ( quality of material along the whole length of the pipes, for all practi cal purposes. The Water Company have other dams constructed on the same principle which have been in operation a great number of years. Possibly water from the sources blocked up in filling the puddle trench might get into the pipo trench. If it did it would show itself. If water got in below the puddle trench it might be dangerous; if above, it would not. It would show itself by percolating to the lower end. Water-mains in streets do not often give way under external pressure. I never knew one break or yield at the joint from external pressure. Mr• Rawlinson—ls it not a common thing for a new line of mains to have blemished joints and leak? Mr. Loather—The pipes of the company are severely tested before they are put down. Mr. Rawlinson—l saw the testing apparatus, but never theless the question is a proper ens. * My experience is that they do give way. Mr. Leather—My experience on the contrary is, that they scarcely ever do give way. Examination of Mr. Leather by the Coroner resumed—l never heard of a pipe giving way on account of water creep ing along the pipe trench. Ido not know there was such a ease at Birmingham, It would not have been better to Iwo was quarried the same as ours, and that subsequently a large quantity of water found its way below the stratifica tion of the puddie bank, and leaked out a considerable dis tance below the embankment. I am not aware that any special arrangements were made b prevent the water creep ing alongside the two ow let pipes by putting collars around them, lam nor aware that one of the Birmingham reser voirs six or seven years ago was destroyed by the water creeping along the cast-iron pipe and blowing a hole through the embankment like a tunnel. I should think in any such case it would be detected by a previous leakage. lam not aware that a considerable body of water was issuing under the side wall below the embankment before the bursting of the embankment. Ido not know how long a pipe such as the outlet pipes would last. Everything will come to de struction sooner or later. Ido not know how far the two pipes were placed apart, John Guason—l am the acting engineer for the Sheffield Water Works Company, and have had the construction of the Bradford Reservoir twat the plans of Mr. Leather. The embankment was made in the usual way, but it was found necessary to dig the puddle trench deeper than we origin ally intended, the reason being that there was so much water. We went to a depth of 60 feet. There was a very large flow of water, which was pumped out by two engines, one of them working a 'l2-inch pipe and a 13-inch pipe. The other pumped two 12-inch pipes. Together they would be about 20-horse power, and they were kept constantly working for nearly two years. This shows that a large body of water came through the rocks to the puddle. We got.rid of the water by pumping it out. The water originally came out of the reservoir, about 100 yards north of the embank ment. It was caused by a fault or throw of the rock, and came away from the tops of the hills, perhaps miles away. When we got the puddle trench in, that was an effectual barrier, and the wa er from that spring was thrown back into the reservoir. The puddle trench was cut and worked in the ordicary way. When we got above the level of the spring the consequence was of course that the water had to make its way back again. The trench laid for the pipes was 9ft. or 10ft. wide, and perhaps the depth was equal to the width, but ran up considerably less. The pipes were laid in puddle, at a distance from each other of 2ft. bin. The depth of the puddle above and below the pipes was 18in. It was the same kind of puddle as the puddle-wall—the best. The trench was filled up with the best material, thin layers of gravel, and very solid. We put in the materials of the embankin nt in layers or tips. There were barrows used, three-wheeled carts, two-wheeled carts, and waggons. 'We did not take the material for the embankment indiscri minately from the banks of the reservoir, and tip it on the embankment. First, 24,000 cubic yards entirely of stone was placed on the outward slope of the bank, the stone form ing an embankment itself up to within 50ft of the top of the embankment. The object was to prevent the embankment slipping on the surface it was placed on; and to get that done effectually we paid 3d per yard additional for the work. The next process was so to lay the material that the finer sort came up to the puddle wall. The work was somewhat similar to that which is going on at present at the Agden reservoir. The material is also generally the same—fit, I consider, for the work which it had to do. [Plans showing the course of the pipes were here produced, and handed for the inspection of the jury.] Great precautions were taken in laying the pipes in the puddle trench. The puddle trench was 40ft or 501 t below where the pipes went. The pipe trench was about Oft below the surface. About a couple of lengths of pipe went through the puddle trench proper. My fear was if nothing was provided, the puddle in the pudale trench being deeper than in the pipe trench, it might sink; and so we made a special arrangement for the protection of the pipes, by an extension of the width of the puddle wall. This was done to the extent of something like 100 ft on either side. The pipes being socket pipes, they would admit of some small degree of inflection without breaking. The pipes were inserted about six inches into each other, lead being used for from three to four inches. The pipes were laid in good strong shale, not compressible by pressure. No water could possibly creep along the pipes. The sockets of the pipes were cast a little large back than they were in the front, so that the internal pressure of the water should not force the lead out, To do so it would have had to act as against a wedge. There were no collars put upon the pipes to prevent the water creeping along—the sockets of the pipes themselves formed collars, and they were very strong ones. The lines of pipes were 2ft 6.n apart. The sockets were so large that had Ciey been placed opposite it would have reduced the puddle to that extent—so I ad vanced one line of pipes a yard above the other. The Court at this stage of the inquiry adjourned for half an hour. . . Mr. Gunson recalled and examined by the Coroner—The Parliamentary plans are not here, only the working ones. The former can be given to Mr. Rawlinson. The plans car ried out were not precisely the same as the Parliamentary plans. We discovered that the ground where we first in tended to put the embankment was faulty; there had been what we call a landslip. I should say that landslip was some hundred years old. I did not observe it first. After I discovend it would not be safe I saw Mr. Leather, and he gave directions that it should be made where it is, We had not begun the work at the first embankment, but the contracts were let. The rainfall of that district from 1859 was as follows :-1859. 46'055 inches ; 1869, 44.280 ; 1561, 37.940 ; 1862,, 49060; 1863, 40100. The smallest flow of water in the summer is half a cubic foot per second for each thousand acres of the watershed, and the maximum 150 cubic feet per second per thousand acres. The gauge was placed in the Rivelin valley before we went to Parliament, and when we got the Act I had it reconstructed. It was 18ft wide. The heaviest flood we have had occurred in August, 1856. The overflow was 60 inches, and it took away the gauge. The gauge was kept at Bedmires, about 1,200 ft above the level of the sea. On the south side of the dam we have an artificial cutting. That w a to divert the stream during the construction of the re servoir, and we used till about a year ago. The embank ment was finished before t hen, with the exception of where the weiring is at the south end, which is not finished yet. Some of the materials got out of the cutting might be brought into the embankment, others washed away. In Aug., 18. - J6, we had 9 in. of rain—the highest quantity in any month. It would take 14 or 15 inches to fill the reservoir, so no flood could materially affect it. When we bared the rock we had no apprehension that mischief could arise; and I was per fectly satisfied that no water coming from the rocks could in jure the embankment, because we sunk the puddle trench far down into the rock below any excavations in the reservoir. It was put down into measures quite impervious to water. The water seen corning out of the rocks where the reservoir has been flows into the river. It is possible it might drain into the embankment, but it would be stopped by our puddle It was not at all a hazardous proceeding to bare those rocks. We might have got material elsewhere to make the em bankment if we had bought 100 acres of land for the pur pose. There are about 400,000 cubic yards in the embank ment. We should not have required 100 acres if the ma terial was anything like. I cannot say how many acres of the rock we have bared; eight or ten, I should guess.. We did not find all the material for the embankment in the barine , of the rock. By Mr. Rawlinson—l intended to make an opening 60ft. long in the by-wash. There was a drop in the by-wash which would have let all the water of that breadth to go off. We were not able to make the breach in the by-wash. I heard the shot go off after the embankment had burst. The water lowered rapidly in the meantime, though . l did not see how much. Mr. Gunson explained that he never apprehended danger until he saw the water dashing over the embankment, and that he thereupon sent persons to warn the nearest resi dents. He had no time to warn anybody lower down. Before the jury separated, Mr. li,Awlinson, Government Inspector, said some csaculations had been prepared with regard to the flood. The total fall from the darn-head to 0 wlerton was 4501 t., or 72ft. per mile. The velocity between those points of the flood was 18 miles per hour, showing that the water passed ut the rate of 26111. per second. Th e average area of the cross sections of the flood between the same points was 3,780 feet, showing that 40,170 cubic feet of water pas,ed per second. At this rate the reservoir would empty itself in 47 minutes ; the weight of water was 3,2.50,000 tons. After the dam broke, a Darby horse could not have carried the warning down the valley in time to be of service. The inquest was then adjourned until Thursday. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE, OXFORD CIRCUIT.—HEREFORD, March 23. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Baron Pigott.) THE nENNor MURDER. Thomas Watkins was indicted 'for wilfully, and of malice aforethought, killing and murdering Mary Ann W ttkins, his wife, at liennor, near L2omin star, in this county, on the 18th of January last. Mr. Cooke and Mr. Matthews conducted the pro secution, and Mr. Wighiman defended the prisoner. When the prisoner was arraigned yesterday he pleaded guilty-, but by his lordship's advice he after wards withdrew the plea, and the trial was fixed for this morning. The trial occupied most of the day, but the facts, as elicited in evidence, lie in narrow compass. It appeared that the prisoner had led a dissolute life, and had separated from his wife, who earned a living by going out washing and ironing. The deceased lived with a cottager named Smith, and some time before the murder rue prisoner had sand to Smith that he "should like to be the death of his wife and of one or two others." The deceased, too, was afraid of being out at night in consequence of the threats that her husband had used towards her. On Monday, the 18th of January, the deceased went to do a day's wash ing at the house of James Lane at Ilennor, end left Lane's house to go home at about six o'clock in the evening. When she left Lane's she said she did not much like going home by herself for fear of meeting her husband. The poor creature never reached her home that night, but between 10 and 11 o'clock, as a witness, named David Lipscombe, was passing through an orchard on his way home, a short distance from Lane's house, he heard groans proceeding from the other side of hedge. He got through a fence, and following the direction of the sound soon came up with the poor woman, whom he found lying on the ground in a pool of blood which had flowed from several frightful cuts in her head. Lipsconabe placed the woman in a position in which she could breathe more freely, and having obtained assistance, she was carried to the union workhouse, where she died. Next morning at daylight an examination was made of the locality of the murder, and traces were found of a person wearing clogs of a peculiar make. The prisoner was suspected of being concerned in the murder, and it was ascertained that he had been in the neighbourhood on the evening of the murder. Between five and six o'clock he called at a house about a mile and a half from Lane's, and about nine he was at another house about a quarter of a mile from where the murder was com mitted. He then wore clogs, and said he was going to Smith's to askshis wife to go and live with him. As he left he said, " Good night; perhaps I shall never see you again." A day or two afterwards the prisoner was apprehended, and, being charged with the murder, answered, " Well, I did not do it." A number of witnesses were examined to prove the above facts. it was shown that on the night of the murder the prisoner caned at several colages distant from halt a mile to two miles from Hennor, with no apparent object. He talked of his wife's conduct, and said she had been unfaithful ta uim during his absence, he having been for fotir years away, having enli3ted es a marine. About Christ mas he deserted, and came down to the neighbour hood of Leominster. For the &fence it was contended thrt the act was only one of manslaughter. His lordship summed up with great care and minuteness, and The jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of guilty amidst a deep silence. His lordship then passed the awful sentence of death in the usual manner. The court was crowded all day, and the prisoner bore the trial with great fortitude. WESTERN CIRCUIT.—TAUNTON, March 23. (Before Mr. Baron Martin.) James Howell, 32, labourer, was indicted for the wilful murder of Susan Cleverly, at Bath. Mc. J. W. Saunders and Mr. Bailey prosecuted. Tne prisoner was undefended. It appeared from the evidence of several wit nesses that the prisoner cohabited with deceased at a lodging-house in Little Corn-street, B.th, and early on the morning of Tuesday, the 16th of February, cries of " Murder" were heard coming from the room in which they lived. Marsh, the man who kept the house, and Police-constable James went to the room, and they found the poor woman seriously injured, and complaining of the prisoner's violence. The deceased at first threatened to give him into custody, but subsequently declined, saying that she should be murdered if she did. A woman who lived underneath, and other wit nesses deposed to having heard noises in the pri soner's roam, as of some one jumping upon another. The deceased, who was pregnant, was removed to another house, and she died on the Sunday follow. ing. The post-mortem examination proved the death of the woman to have resulted from internal disease, caused by the external injuries which were apparent. The jury found the prisoner guilty of man slaughter. It appeared that he had been previously tried for the murder of a woman with whom he cohabited, found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to six years' penal servitude. His lordship now sentenced him to penal servi tude for life. SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—It is very remarkable that at this moment the most conspicuous result of the American war is a gradual elevation of the black race in social and political position. The Northern people, as a body, though they have obviously learnt a species of tole ration for the coloured race, are probably not more solicitous than formerly for the welfare or emanci pation of the negro; but, as happens in all revolu tions, the most thoroughgoing party has preyed the most enduring, and that party is the Abolitionist party. It was pointed out at a very early period of the war that slavery could hardly escape from the double danger with which it was threatened. If the Federals wore victorious, they could deal with the institutions as they pleased ; it the Confederates established their independence, a free soil would bound their territory, and any slave by crossing the frontier could assert his freedom. Something akin to this process has now been long going on. Many negroes have actually taken refuge on Northern soil ; many more, though still on Southern soil, have been enabled by the presence of Federal armies to escape from slavery. In the border counties, indeed, slavery may be said to have been abolished though slaves in great numbers still remain, but it has not been found necessary in any of those territories to resort to such edicts as that of General Banks in Louisiana, Is justice also to the Abolitionists, it must be confessed that the extreme representatives of their party are consistent in their views. They do not, while as serting the rights of the negro, condemn him to social proscription. They accept the logical consequences at his emancipation, and have even astonished the world by the completeness of the recognition which they have recently announced, and which our correspondence en vividly portrays. It still remains to be seen, however, what part the Southern people will take in the question thus developed. If the war, as some Northern writers tell us, and as appears by no means improbable, is henceforth to be prosecuted with armies of blacks, it is obvious that the superiority of re sources will now, for the first time, be on the side of the South. If by men is meant black men, the Con federates are stronger than the Federals, for there is no reason to presume that the Southern negroes will refuse to fight on the side of their masters. In any case, however, their position must be materially affected, and it is certainly remarkable that the only result of this extraordivary war as y et visible should he the gradual subversion of that institution which, if it was the remote cause of strife, was forgotten in the first hours of conflict. Three years ago the Federal Government made no secret of its willing ness to give every satisfaction to the slaveholders of the South on condition of resuming their allegiance. In all probability the great majority of the Federal people would still be ready to make peace on the same terms, but such a policy is necessarilyllacking in vigour, and while the Democrats hesitate to avow their pacific sentiments the more zealous Abolition ists have carried their standards to the front. In the meantime, by the mere course of events, the black man is pushing his way to a new position. In the North, though still rejected by the bulk of the population, he is encouraged and favoured by a deermined faction, and has become necessary to all. In the South he is invited by the invaders to quit the state of slavery, and has actually the option over a considerable portion of Confederate territory of becoming what he was not before. It is not much, perhaps, to be promoted from slavery to serfdom, but it is a move, nevertheless, and when once accom plished will be hard to reverse. We do not see, in fact, how slavery, thus dealt with on all sides, can either remain what it is or become again what it was, and that is one of the least unsatisfactory pros peels of this terrible war.' HERALD.—The anxiety of Lord Palmerston to satisfy the Government of Louis Philippe in 1840, not only that he had not connived at the Boulogne expedition, but that neither he nor Lord Melbourne had for years set eyes upon " that madman" Louis Napoleon, is hardly reconcileabte with the readi ness with which the noble lord has vindic Ated and assumed the whole responsibility for Mr. Stansfeid's intimate connection with the plotters against the life of Louis Napoleon, the Emperor of the French. There was then nothing but an insinuation, which the noble load could have afforded to despise. Had he seen Louis Napoleon, who enjoyed a good social position in this country .a short time before the ex pedition, there would have been nothing in it to justify complaint from the French Government. But the canards of French newspapers were suffi cient cause to induce the noble lord to deny in the official newspaper that he had called upon the Prince, and send for the French Minister to give him the most emphatic and detailed denial that he had the slightest knowledge of the conspirators against France. We applaud the anxiety, worthy of an English Minister, to repudiate all part, even the remotest and most indirect, in conspiracies against a friendly Government. How is it that we find a Minister, then so eitremely susceptible, now not only refusing to give the French Government an explanation in a much more serious matter, but wantonly and offensively assuming the responsibi lity of aiding and abetting conspiracies against the lire of a friendly bovereign ? Upon prisoners arrested in Paris, in whose luggage were found weapons in tended, as they confessed, for the murder of the Em peror Napoleon, were found papers implicating Maz zini as the organiser of the insu, rection, and instruct ing his instruments to communicate with him at the house of Mr. Stansfeld. These facts are men tioned at the trial. The Procureur General ex presses his surprise and regret that a member of the English Parliament should assist such secure dreis, but he observes that this member of Perlis- meet had been mixed up in a previous conspiracy against the life of the Emperor. Nuw, here was a case against Mr. Stansfeld, infinitely plainer and of far greater gravity than that which Lord Palmer ston was so eager to explain away, and Mr. Stans feld, to do him justice, seems to have felt that he had committed an indiscretion which made it im possible for him to remain a Minister of the Crown. He offared his resignation. Lord Palmerston, however, refused to accept it, and the result was that Mr. Stansfeld, emboldened by the support of his chief, refused to give any explanation, and pro nounced a glowing eulogium upon the arch-revolu tionist and apostle of the dagger. The House of Commons was not to be put off thus easily, and Mr. S:ansfeld was compelled to explain ' • and the Go vernment was only saved from d e f ea t by the pathetic appeals not to spoil the young man's prospects with which the supporters of the Government accom panied their acknowledgments of his indiscretion. Lord Palmerston alone refused to express regret, and boldly, tauntingly,assumed the responsibility of Mr. Stansfeld's friendship with Alazzini, end his unintentional plots of the Italian revolutionist against the Emperor's life. It h as b een sa id th a t a man's body changes altogether in seven years, and that at the end of that period it contains not the strallest fraction of the substances with which it commenced the septenniad. Thrice seven years have passed since Lord Palmerston showed himself so anxious for his honour to these days iu whio4 he eagerly accepts the responsibility of harbouring and assisting aasaasinc. Are we to suppose that b' mind has been ohanged with his body, 9 "' 3 .A as each set of framework has given Phat' a weaker and a worse, so the mind of change lost son- noble lord has in each - - now thing of its sense of honour, until can accept without difficulty the scandalous part which the Premier has undertaken; orshall we assume that Lord Palmerston was as iodifferent then as now to his own and his country's honour, hut, that hie chief. Lord Melbourne, compelled him to offer Baron de Bourqueney these explana.ione O. is the Premier effeaded with that distrust, the creation of his own policy, which has shown itself in the refusal of the Emperor to draw the che.sriuts out of the Dano-German fire for England ? And would he take the small satisfaction of a feeble mind by telling the Emperor that, as he does not choose to help the English Ministry out of the scrape into which their folly, impertinence, and cowardice have got them, his would-be assassins and the patrons of those assassins shall be taken under the protection of the English Ministry ? Whatever the motives which have actuated the Premier in re fusing Mr. ..itansfeld's resignation, and accepting, for the whole Government, the responsibility of h:3 relations with Mazzini and Mazzini's band of assas sins, the cons, quecces cannot tail to be most injuri ous to that alliance for which Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Bright profess to be so anxious. The Emperor is the sincerest and best friend of the English alliance in Fiance; ho knows its immense value; he appreciates its undoubted power to preserve the peace of Europe and to secure the development of material progress. To maintain it he has made many sacrifices. Often since he his been upon the throne he restrained the national hatred of Eng land, and it is of the greatest importance that he should continue to do so until a party is formed in France which, forgetting old rancours, will recog nise as well as the Emperor the value of the alliance. If, however, the English Governm nt will take every opportunity of wantonly insulting the Emperor; if the Premier, instead of allowing a member of his Ministry, whose indiscretion had mixed him up in a plot against the life of the Emperor, to resign, keeps him in office, assumes the whole responsibility of his acts, jauntily declaring, in fact, to France and Europe that it is compatible with the honour of an Eng lish Minister to be the friend and protector of men whose lives are spent in organising attempts for the murder of the Emperor, it will be ial° possible for the Emperor to retain his friend• ship for England—impossible to restrain the natu ral indignation of his people. Already seriously shaken, the Anglo-French alliance will soon, if Lords Palmerston and Russell remain in power, be at an end—at an end not because the interests of the two countries ran counter, not because France in sisted upon pursuing a policy which threatened English interests or offended English feeling, but at an end because the English Ministers were discour teous, insulting, and insidiously hostile. Of what value the cordial co-operation of France and Eng land is we see now, when the want of it has per mitted the Schleswig •Holstein controversy to break out into a war, which threatens to become general. The Ministry profess to feel the value of what they have done so much to destroy ; but despairing of succeeding in repairing their fault, they, with the assistance and approbation of Mr. Bright, display their spite and annoyance by a policy which cannot fail, if pursued a little longer, to substitute open hostilities for the alliance. COUNTRY MARKETS. LYNN-TUESDAY. At to-day's market there was a fair attendance, with an average show of wheat, and the prices of last week declined Is to 2s per qr. Other articles unaltered. White wheat .....40s to 44s / Barley . 3ls to 36s Itcd.. I Beans .32s to 34s Oats Small 34s to 36s I Peas —s to —8 HULL-TUESDAY. At to-day's market there was a small supply of English wheat, for which needy millers paid last week's full rates; in foreign there was nothing doing, as holders refused to accept the rates offered by buyers. Fine malting barley in better request, but grinding neglected. Beans and peas easier to buy, but not lower in price. Oats held firmly at former rates. Wheat.... Old white per qr. 42s Od to 44s Od Old red 4os Od to 42s Od 71 New white .. „ New red .... 7 , Barley.... English m a lti ng 27s Od to 34s ihi Grinding 24s Cd to 25s 6J Saal and Oderbruck Holstein and Danish 3os Od to 31s Od Grinding 0at5...... English, old 22s Od to 24s Od Archangel and Riga, per st osl2id to 13d Friesland and Dutch oBl3d to 08130 Swedish and Danish OBl2O to 0513 d Beans ....English, old, per qr 4OB Od to 43s Oil New pigeon 428 Od to 44s td New tick Egyptian Peas .. Foreign boilers Grinding Tares .... Spring . Indian Corn Linseed, feeding 528 Od to 56s Od crushing Linseed cakes (Hull) £9 10 0 to £9 15 0 Foreign Bl5 oto 9 0 0 Rape cakes 5lO oto 0 0 0 Bones 5 5 oto 510 0 'MELTON MOWBRAY—TuEsDiT. The following were the currencies :—Now white wheat, 436 Od to 46s Od; new red, 368 Od to 42s per 36 stone; beans, 40s to 42s for old ; new sorts, 34s to 376 per 38 et. ; barley, 34s to 37s for malting, and 28s to 30s per qr. for grinding; new oats, 193 to 233 Od per 24 atone; old, 24$ to 288. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton. . .Aptil 13. via Marseilles April 12. .Brazil and Cape Verds, by British packet. April 5. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena Mar. 30. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton April 3. via Marseilles Mar. '2B. Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton Mar. 28. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton April 3. via Marseilles Mar. 14. India (Bombay), via Southampton .. Mar. 28. _ _ - via Marseille's Mar. 22, Portugal.... April 5. Nlalta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Mar. S. via Marseilles Mar. 22 Newfoundland .. April 15. Oporto and Vigo U.S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... Mar. 24 by U.S. packet.... by Canadian packet. Mar. --. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Tencrille .. April 10. Bahamas, via New York Mexico All parts of West ladies, including Chili, Peru, 1 Mar. 39 California, and 13riti,ti Columbia. Persons who have been in the habit of paying weekly as borrowers of Sewing Machines will do well to app iy at once and become members of Messrs. Watts and Co.'s Sewing Machine Clubs. By so doing they will not only save the money they now foolishly throw away, but at the same time . secure to themselves the poss ess i on o f one o f th e best and. most celebrated sewing machines in the world. Every in formation given on application; or by letter addressed, with a stamped envelope, to Messrs. Watts and Co., 12, Beaufort buildings, Strand, London, W.C., where mem rs are en• aolled daily between 10 and 4; Saturdays, 10 am.: [ADVERTISEMENT ] — Consumption, all nervous, bilious liver, and stemach complaints, every stage, are only ag gravatei and accelerated by drugs of every description, but perlec.ly curable by Du Barry's health restoring Revalents Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which nad been considered hopeless. We quote a few.—Cure No. 62,914. Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured after the medical men had abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage of pulmonary consumption, with fearful cough, expectoration, exhaustion, spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheeks, emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectly healthy, blooming, fleshy girl.—N. Lange, Commissaire de Police. Cure, No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frini!eY' Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement, and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion. gatherings, low spirits, and nervous fancies.—Cure, No. 54,816. the Rev. James 'l'. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted all medical reatment. In tins, 11b, 2s 9d ; 21b, 45 6d ; 61b. Ils ; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry du Barry and Ca., No. 77. Regent-street, London ; also Fortnum and Mason ; and all grocers and chemists in every town of the United Kingdom. Births. BERNHARD.—On the 22d inst., at Marahgate, Richmond, the wile of L. Bernhard, Esq., of a son. GRANT.—On the 18th ult,, at Bombay, the wife of Sir Aid Grant, of a daughter. OGILVY.—On the 22d inst., at Baldovan House, Dundee, the Hon. Mrs. Ogilvy, of a daughter. WATTS.—On the 21st inst., at 35, Belize-park, Hampstead, the wife of W. Manning Watts, Esq., of a daughter. Marriages. DAVIS—DALE.—On the 22d inst., at Holy Trinity Churcbt Islington, George Davis, Esq., of Sylva House, Cater ham, Surrey, to Christiana, second daughter of the late Henry Dale, Esq., of Islington. MORLEY—ANSDELL.—On the 19th inst., at St. Barnabaer Kensington, William W. Morley, Esq., of Blackburn , to Maria, the eldest daughter of Richard Auden, Bell A.R.A., of Kensington, Deaths. BALL.—On the 22dInst., at Ranelagh, near Dublin, IN19.0; Wm. H. Ball, D,L . , o f F ort F ergus, in the county Clare, aged 63, CLAILKE.—On the 21st inst., at Knedlington, J o hn Suther` land Clarke, M.A. Ehsam —On the 21st inst., at Boston, Lincolnshire) /I Elsam, Esq. GIBBS.—On the 22d inst., at Clifton Hampden, °lon, t ill Rev. Joseph Gibbs, aged 63. HINGESTON.—On the 22d inst., at 2, Scarsdale-terr ace• Kensington, Samuel Hingeston, Esq. ) barristez-at -1414 aged 59, IR.—On the 22d inst., at Croydon, Mrs. Henry Miller, aged 58. SURTEES.—On the morning of the 16th inst., at Bright° rl 2 Robert Smith Surtees, Esq., of H ams t er l e y Hall, cou l2. of Durham, in his 60th year, London: Primed and Prbffshed by WILLIASI ANDitg of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TILE Surf Office No. ii"; Strand, the Precinct of the Savoy, in the COU P' I ° 111 idlcoez.-_--Thunday, March 21, 1$ 4.